More or Less a Field Trip
by ManofManyHats
Summary: Toph doesn't manage to get back to the temple after Zuko burns her feet. They have a nice talk.


**AN: Eyo, I'm still alive everyone. Still working on other stories, don't worry, but enjoy this for now.**

Even in the nicest places, Zuko slept with one eye open. In the middle of some dank forest, at the edge of the Western Air Temple where countless people had been massacred, with not an ally to his name and three nations at his throat; you bet the spirits he was jumpy.

So when he heard rustling that night after having his offer of teaching the Avatar rejected, what could you expect? He was hardwired to shoot and ask questions later. Who had he shot at, you ask? Well, he'd find out pretty fast.

"It's me!" The voice was high pitched and young; familiar, and then alarmed. "You burned my feet!"

It was one of the Avatar's friends, the earthbender. Zuko was up on his feet like a bolt after he computed that this was not going to help with his reputation.

"I'm sorry! It was a mistake!" Apparently, she could still bend, feet burned or not, because a boulder flew to meet him.

"Get away from me!" At the edge of the fire, he caught the sight of her backing away, using her arms to pull herself off. He took a step towards her to try and help her up, when another stone glanced off his shoulder.

The impact knocked a little more sense into his brain. Deciding that lunging at the earthbender while she was injured and bending was not exactly nonthreatening, Zuko backed up and raised his hands in the air. One of the girl's arms slipped and she fell to the ground, wincing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Zuko pleaded. "Let me help you."

"Get away from me." She insisted, and again tried to crawl her way back. Without the adrenaline though, she didn't make it far before she flumped back on the ground. "Ugh… This was not how I planned this to go."

"I, um… sorry."

"It's partly my fault, I guess. Some of it. Mostly your fault." She tested a foot on the ground and winced. "This sucks."

Zuko took one look at her reddening feet and jolted the gears in his brain back to work. "If they're burned, you need to run some water over them. There's a stream nearby; I can carry you there."

"An enemy firebender that chased my friends around the globe for the good part of a year, carrying me to a river?" She shrugged. "Why not? I don't have any better plans."

They trekked their way blindly through the forest, the earthbender hanging around Zuko's neck and exclaiming "Ow!" and bonking the top of his head every time the firebender stumbled, to which he would give an abashed, but exasperated, "Sorry."

When they reached the stream, a shallow, coppery thing that didn't seem to want to go anywhere fast, the girl let her feet soak with a contented sigh, and Zuko tried to coax a campfire to life.

"You know, I'm getting pretty mixed impressions from you." She said.

"Sorry. I'm still not too great at this… 'good' thing." Zuko admitted.

"You can say that again." She snorted. "So let's get down to business. What's your plan from here?"

Zuko scattered more tinder over the flames.

"Sit here and sulk. Gotcha."

"No." He said. "I… just had a lot hanging on what happened this morning. What was your plan for coming here?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't getting very far with those idiots back at the temple. Was really hoping that you'd have something planned."

"Uncle always told me that I wasn't great at thinking ahead." He mumbled. "But… why would you risk it?"

"Where is your uncle anyway? I wouldn't mind seeing him again."

Zuko's face immediately darkened. "I don't know. I meant to break him out of prison during the eclipse but… he was already gone."

"Like a one man army. I knew he had a lot up his sleeves. Not that I haven't broken out of prison before." She quipped. "That assassin by the way? Not cool."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Zuko figured he'd be saying that a lot from now.

"So what's got you so bummed out over your uncle? He's free out there somewhere, maybe with some old people club or something. You'll find him."

He watched her carefully from behind the fire. "I made a lot of mistakes. The last I saw my uncle, he wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't even look at me. I can't blame him."

She waded her feet in the current and stared out into the forest.

"I betrayed him at Ba Sing Se. All those years he stayed with me and I stabbed him in the back."

"So… you think he hates you? That he won't forgive you?" She said. "I don't know much about you, Zuko, and I've only ever talked to your uncle once... but that doesn't sound like him at all."

"How do you know that? Why'd you even come here?"

"Because your uncle's a good guy. He helped me get through some stuff way back when and it's worked out pretty well for me since. He said there was was good in you, and if he was willing to chase you down back then, I'm going to trust him on that."

Zuko stared at her in wonder as she spoke.

She added quickly. "Besides, Aang needs all the help he can get."

Taking the distraction, Zuko looked away. "How do I convince them?"

"Well, Aang's pretty on the fence about you already. I'm sure if you just prove that you're on the right side, he'd give a chance. As for Sokka, he's a pretty logical guy at the end of the day. He'll turn around. But Katara…"

She gave another nonchalant shrug, but he suspected that convincing the waterbender would not be as nonchalant an issue as she made it out to be.

"But that's a problem for another day." She resolved. "Right now's time to soak my feet and go to sleep."

The crackle of the fire filled the silence as they settled down. Zuko broke it one more time. "I… I never got your name."

She grinned and offered up a hand. "Toph Beifong."

Zuko met her hand and shook. "Nice to meet you. Thanks and, um, sorry for burning your feet."

Toph laughed. "You're not that bad a guy either, Zuko."

* * *

The next morning, Toph hopped on his back and they started their journey back to the temple. He wouldn't say he was nervous, but he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about having to show up to the group with their missing earthbender less than in the best of health.

"What's wrong Sparky? I can feel your heart through your back. Got stage fright?" Toph teased.

Zuko had stopped, sensing something off, like a strange warmth in the air.

"No… it's - " That's when the ground trembled and a sound like a mountain collapsing washed over them. "The assassin."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go get him!" Toph shouted.

"How about you?"

She pointed at her feet. "I like busting head as much as the next guy, but I'm not gonna be doing much like this. Now get out there and kick some ass for me!"

* * *

Once the battle had ended with the assassin self-destructing in a brilliant display of explosion, Zuko went back for Toph - "Took you long enough." - and made his way to the inevitable meeting with the rest of the Avatar's group. He set her down on the edge of a fountain and watched the silhouettes in the distance grow closer.

"She's running towards me with a water whip, Toph." He said.

"Stand your ground, Sparky. I'll defend you. Well, not physically; my feet are still burned. But verbally, you know?"

That didn't exactly reassure him.

"Get away from her!" Katara howled, Aang and Sokka at her heels.

"Hey!" Toph grabbed his arm and clung to it in a hug, perhaps as a show of amity. Zuko just blushed. "Easy there, Sugar Queen."

A spire of ice hung in the air but Katara paused, hissing out of her teeth. "He kidnapped you and… and your feet are burned!"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Do you really think Sparky here could kidnap me?"

There was a beat of silence before Sokka answered. "Fair point."

"But he still burned you." Katara seethed

"Look, sure he did. But after that he helped with the burn, carried me back here, and about five minutes ago he saved you guys from being barbeque!"

There was a long silent standoff, Katara's icy glare against Toph's unseeing one with Zuko standing at the side rather awkwardly. He was quietly touched and eternally grateful that Toph was the one facing off the waterbender.

"I'm the one that went to him." The earthbender admitted.

Finally, with an angry sigh, Katara let the ice in the air melt and muttered. "...Let me see the burn."

They all gathered around the fountain, watching as Katara healed. Zuko, with his arm now free, took a step back.

The Avatar looked his way. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... thanks, Zuko."

He stared at the airbender, realizing the words were sincere. Now with the torch passed down to him, Zuko took a deep breath and spoke honestly and openly, just as he had last night by the river with Toph. That was what they deserved to hear.

"Look, I've made a lot of mistakes. I've been through a lot these last few years but its made me understand the truth. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." He turned to Toph. "I really am sorry about burning your feet."

She gave a smirk and waved away the issue.

He continued. "Fire can be dangerous and wild, so as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending, so I don't hurt people unintentionally."

It was here that the airbender's expression softened. "I think you _are_ meant to be my firebending teacher. I never wanted to firebend again, but now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt others." He turned to the other three. "But what do you guys think?"

"You know my vote, Twinkle Toes." Toph laughed easily, eliciting a scowl from Katara.

Sokka shrugged. "Hey, all I want to do is defeat the Firelord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it."

Katara kept her eyes on healing. Zuko's heart began to sink as the silence wore on, but Toph wiggled her toes to break the waterbender's gaze. With her eyes on the ground, Katara muttered. "Whatever you think is right, Aang."

Aang looked back at him.

"I won't let you down, I promise." The firebender said eagerly. Aang gave a little smile, and the three walked away, a little less than enthusiastic. Zuko sat down, content with the partial victory. He was part of the group; they didn't need to like him.

Toph gave him a good punch on the arm. "Welcome to the team, Sparky. It'll be nice to have a new punching bag around."

It was a victory enough that he had one friend.

Zuko rubbed his arm and smiled. "It's good to be here."


End file.
